JCC Association of North America is proud to announce the members of the fifth cohort of the Tzedek: Jewish Service-Learning Cohort, an initiative developed in partnership with Repair the World. “Tzedek,” which means “justice” in Hebrew, aims to train JCC professionals across North America to design and implement meaningful Jewish service-learning opportunities, enhancing both their professional skills and the programs offered at their JCCs.
Part of JCC Talent, Tzedek is designed to equip members with skills to create and deliver Jewish service-learning experiences that positively affect their communities. Participants are trained using four key components of Jewish service-learning: issue education, a Jewish lens, hands-on service, and reflection. This technique helps them create valuable projects that benefit both their JCCs and surrounding communities. Each Tzedek coordinator receives a $1,000 stipend to bring their unique project to life, supporting both personal and communal growth through service.
“I’m incredibly grateful to have been part of the Tzedek cohort experience, which gave me the tools and confidence to lead meaningful, impactful service initiatives at the JCC of San Francisco and deepen how I connect Jewish values to action,” said Lorenn Kassel, programs manager at the JCC of San Francisco and a member of the fourth cohort of Tzedek. “Tzedek directly inspired The Lunch Club, our monthly meetup where we prepare 200 sandwiches for St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Francisco—supporting our neighbors while building a joyful, returning community of volunteers who’ve become friends. It also expanded my national network of Jewish professionals—relationships that continue to inform and strengthen my work.”
Since its launch in 2022, Tzedek has inspired more than 20,000 acts of service, mobilized nearly 16,000 volunteers, and supported the creation of almost 330 Jewish service-learning projects across JCCs. These efforts reflect Tzedek’s role in fostering a culture of service and learning throughout JCCs in North America. Combined with other major service initiatives, including the National Day of Jewish Service and JCC Cares, the service component of JCC Maccabi®, Tzedek’s endeavors have resulted in more than 40,000 hours of dedicated service and learning, reinforcing the JCC Movement’s commitment to making a positive impact in its communities.
“I had the most wonderful experience in the Tzedek Cohort. The learning was so experiential and collaborative,” said Randi Zucker, director of arts, community and culture at JCC of Central NJ and a member of the fourth cohort of Tzedek. “The experience gave me the insight and confidence to create an impactful service-learning program for my community addressing food insecurity. Following my cohort experience, I added service, issue, and Jewish value learning to my ongoing events which have enhanced the program so much. The learning is deeply engaging and relatable which results in a such a meaningful experience for the participants.”
“Tzedek continues to be a powerful engine for developing JCC professionals as Jewish service-learning leaders,” said Rebecca Furth, assistant program director, JCC Talent, at JCC Association. “Through deep partnership with Repair the World, participants gain the tools, language, and confidence to design service-learning experiences that respond to real community needs while grounding action in Jewish values. As this fifth cohort begins, we’re seeing how Tzedek is not only strengthening individual JCCs, but shaping a movement-wide culture of service, learning, and responsibility.”
With more than 10,000 full-time professionals, over 20,000 part-time staff, and 17,000 seasonal staff, the JCC Movement is the largest employer on North America’s Jewish communal landscape, and JCC Association is devoted to developing the talent of the JCC workforce and continuing to attract the best and brightest to the movement’s work.
In March, Tzedek cohort members will gather in person at JCC Association in New York City for an immersive training and community service project, during which members will volunteer with Brooklyn Book Bodega, a nonprofit organization that provides children ages 0–18 in New York City with access to books for their homes. Tzedek members will learn about literacy inequity and help prepare over 1,000 books for distribution.
The fifth Tzedek cohort consists of 18 professionals from 14 JCCs, spanning a range of roles, including senior leadership, adult programming, youth and teen programming, and community engagement, and showcasing the diversity of professionals committed to Jewish service-learning.
Members of the 2026 Tzedek cohort include:
- Noah Adams, youth and camp director at the Levite JCC in Birmingham, Alabama
- Judy Ben-Ami, Jewish cultural and adult programming director at the Robert and Dorothy Ludwig Schenectady JCC in Niskayuna, New York
- Biffy Borg, family program manager at the Louis S. Wolk JCC of Greater Rochester in New York
- Emilie Brockman, manager of Jewish community engagement at the JCC in St. Louis, Missouri
- Tiffany Capuano, director of arts, culture, and travel at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly, New Jersey
- Alice Clanton, assistant director of adult programs at the New Orleans JCC in Louisiana
- Oona Dicker, volunteer manager for Jewish Family Services at Shalom Austin in Texas
- Michelle Jacobson, teen program coordinator at the Lawrence Family JCC in San Diego, California
- Tomer Levy, community engagement coordinator at the Rady JCC in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Margaret Mailander, director of Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services at the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine in Portland
- Ellen McCloskey, J Experience associate at the Shimon and Sara Birnbaum JCC in Bridgewater, New Jersey
- Logan Meldrum, youth sports coordinator and assistant director of Camp Chaverim at the JCC of Greater Columbus in Ohio
- Miriam Pedler, director of the Leonard and Syril Rubin Early Childhood Center at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly, New Jersey
- Marni B. Port, 55+ adult enrichment manager at the Louis S. Wolk JCC of Greater Rochester in New York
- Jenna Robbins, Jewish teen life coordinator at the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania
- Elizabeth Smith, director of advancement at the New Orleans JCC in Louisiana
- Heather Terrill, J Institute director at the Jewish Community Alliance in Jacksonville, Florida
- Barbara Traweek, chief programs officer at the Levite JCC in Birmingham, Alabama
Tzedek is powered by Repair the World, the national organization leading the Jewish service movement. Tzedek is part of the Jewish Service Alliance (JSA), a coalition of more than 60 organizations that mobilizes tens of thousands of people annually in impactful Jewish service and empowers flourishing Jewish communities that serve in pursuit of a just world.
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About JCC Association of North America
JCC Association of North America leads the JCC Movement, the most expansive and inclusive platform for Jewish life in the U.S. and Canada, which comprises nearly 150 Jewish Community Centers and Jewish Community Camps (JCCs). By virtue of its size and scope—serving more than 1.5 million people weekly, in person, and online—and with guidance and support from JCC Association, the JCC Movement dynamically influences efforts to create Jewish community, vibrant Jewish life, and intentional and measurable Jewish outcomes in local communities and across the continent. Learn more at JCCA.org or on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Please note that JCC Association of North America should not be referred to as JCCA or the JCC Association but initially as JCC Association of North America and as JCC Association in subsequent references.
About Repair the World
Repair the World mobilizes Jews and their communities to take action to pursue a just world, igniting a lifelong commitment to service. In 2009, Repair the World began elevating meaningful service as a defining element of Jewish life by engaging Jewish young adults in service and learning to meet pressing local needs. Today, inspired by our values, we activate a national service movement, mobilizing partners and tens of thousands of Jewish young adults and their communities to serve alongside our neighbors. Learn more at Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.